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Graduating With A Plan of Action
Congratulations, you’ve just graduated with a degree in your chosen field.
So what’s your next step going to be to launch your long-anticipated
career?
Like a young racehorse at the starting gate, you have tons of energy and
determination, and are anxious to get out there and seize new career
opportunities. But are you ready? Do you know what you need to do? Do you
have a plan of action to turn those opportunities into a reality? If you
don’t, you will need to get one.
I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage that the quickest route from point A
to point B is a straight line. Well, launching your career is no different
in terms of setting your job search goals and carrying them out diligently
and methodically You might have a few corners to navigate, but you should
do your best to avoid deviating from your goal as much as possible.
One of the first things you need to decide is what type of job interests
you the most. Depending on what your degree is, there might be many
positions in your field to consider. For example, if you are a graduate
nurse you can work in a hospital, clinic, nursing home, childcare center,
school, private practice, or field setting. Then, within those settings
you can work within various units such as medical-surgical, pediatrics,
and maternity. Then there are transitional opportunities.
Let’s say you tried your hand at nursing and realized it was not what you
expected. You can always consider pharmaceutical sales as a new career.
Some fields, such as business management, are even more flexible. The key
is to decide which direction you are headed towards and learn as much
about that field as you possible can.
Okay, you hate to admit it, but you spent all of that time and money, but
you’re still not sure what you want to do. You have an idea about what you
might want to do, but it’s just not clear yet. None of the possibilities
you’ve explored get you excited. In fact, you’re feeling downright
frustrated and depressed. Don’t worry. It really isn’t that bad. Keep in
mind that you don’t have to start at the top, and don’t have to commit
yourself to an employer. So don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Maybe
you just need to get your foot in the door somewhere to test the waters
before you decide to go full steam ahead. You might even want to spend the
first year to discover what it is that you really want to do. That way
your mind will be open to possibilities and you will have a positive
attitude. Just don’t waste time. Set weekly goals. Use that year to WORK
at finding out what you want to do. Then prepare to do it – and do it
well.
If you want to explore your career without the assistance of a job coach
or career counselor, a good way to start is to conduct some independent
research. Let’s assume your degree in is law enforcement or criminal
justice. You will need to decide if you want to work in corporate security
or private investigation. But how do you decide? Well, if your college’s
career center cannot provide you with specific information, visit
Occupational Outlook Handbook online (http://www.bls.gov/oco/) to get an
overview of various positions in your field. Join industry specific chat
rooms to see what everyone is talking about. Go to the websites of various
companies. Get involved in conversations. Ask lots of questions. Get
advice from friends, family members, and neighbors. Ask them what they do
and how they got started.
If you are not sure if a particular area of your industry is right for
you, call or write professionals already in positions of interest to
request an information interview. An information interview will allow you
the opportunity to question a professional about the nature and
requirements of a position. Some people will not be available, whereas
other people will welcome the opportunity to give you fifteen minutes of
their time. If someone avoids you, don’t take it personally. Just move on
to the next possible contact. Once you make a connection, you will need to
be polite, organized, and demonstrate exceptional professionalism and
communication skills. During your information interview, remember to take
detailed notes. When you are done, thank them wholeheartedly for their
time. Be sure to get their full name and contact information so you can
send them a follow-up thank you letter. They might even have an opening,
so be sure to make a good impression.
Once you have narrowed it down, have your resume developed professionally
and post it on major job boards, such as monster.com, careerbuilder.com,
and hotjobs.com to see what contacts can be made. While you are there,
search job openings to glean what the job descriptions are so you can see
what will be expected of you. Your resume writer will probably want you to
do that anyway so they can get a good idea of the jobs you are interested
in to ensure your resume is very targeted. Be proactive and tell your
resume writer that you have done that and would like to share that
information with them.
Okay, so now you know what you want to do and you have a great resume and
cover letter. Now what? You’ve probably heard how important networking is
– that it’s not what you know but who you know. Well, that’s not always
the case; but knowing the right person sure can’t hurt. With that in mind,
let everyone you come in contact with know you are looking for a job. Be
sure to keep your resume updated and in your car (protected from spills
and creasing) so you can hand them out at a moment’s notice. Join an
organization to become acquainted with people in your industry, attend
career fairs, become affiliated with recruiters, and research companies
online (post your resume at their websites), at the library, and even in
the yellow pages to get leads to mail your resume and cover letter. This
last approach is a great strategy. Let’s say you recently graduated with
your Masters in Social Work. You can open your yellow pages to Adoption
Agencies to acquire the mailing addresses of several social service
agencies. Be sure to call the receptionist first to request the proper
name, title, and department of the contact to send your resume and cover
letter. Other strategies include creating a web resume so people can view
your formatted, interactive resume online. If you don’t know how to do
this, research how or hire someone to do it for you. Be sure to have
business cards made and add your web resume address to it!
Another great way to get started is to temp for a while. If you do decide
to temp, be selective. You should only work for the best companies in your
field to get the very best experience possible. It is also a great way to
prove yourself as a favorable candidate for a permanent position. Don’t
temp for too long because it might cause a potential employer to wonder
why you haven’t secured a permanent position for a certain length of time.
If during an interview you are asked why you temped, confidently state
that you chose to temp to gain well-rounded experience in your field.
Don’t apologize for anything!
No matter what your plan of action is, be sure to keep organized notes and
track every move you make. Prepare a list of names, company names,
addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, email addresses, and website
addresses. Keep the list near the phone of every company you sent your
resume and cover letter. That way you will know whom you are speaking with
when they call to extend an initial or follow up interview. This is
especially important if you are going on several interviews. If you are
not organized, you will get confused and seem unprofessional. You will
want to make a great first impression from the very beginning, starting
with a great resume and cover letter. If you have your baby sister’s cute
little voice or a musical greeting on your answering machine, replace it
with a professional message that says,“ You have reached John Smith at
555-5555. I am not available at this time. Please leave your name and
reason for calling. I will return your call as soon as possible. Have a
great day!” If your email address is bowlingkingpin@aol.com, be sure to
change it to JSmith1234@aol.com. If you are on the road all of the time,
or if members of your family do not speak English, get a cell phone so you
can be reached anytime, anywhere. List that number as your only number
without the word “cell” listed on your resume. If you list both your home
number and your cell number, then indicate which number is your home
number and which number is your cell number. They will probably call your
home number first. If you have a lot of friends who call you on your cell,
be on guard to answer your cell phone professionally. If you are going on
an interview, leave your cell phone in your glove compartment. You don’t
want your cell phone to ring in the middle of the interview.
Be prepared and on time for the interview, if not early. Make sure you
have several outfits to wear to go on several interviews in a week’s time
so you don’t stress. Make sure you dress appropriately for your interview.
You can’t go wrong if you are conservative. If it is a creative industry,
you can dress with more flair or even casual, but don’t dress too crazy.
Have extra resumes handy (don’t bring your cover letter) to give to the
hiring manager so he/she can distribute them to other managers without
having to make copies. Practice your interviewing technique. Ask a friend
to role-play with you. Get a book with commonly asked interview questions.
In addition to learning what to say, you need to learn what not to say and
what not to do. Send out thank you letters within 24-hours that mention
something important discussed in the interview keeping the position in
mind at all times and reiterating your strengths.
Above all, be professional in behavior and appearance, knowledgeable,
enthusiastic, organized, interested in the company and position (have
about ten questions to ask them that have nothing to do with you), and try
your best to be interesting when you talk about your experiences,
regardless how limited they may be. If you are nervous, keep in mind that
you are interviewing them, too. You don’t want to work for just anyone, do
you? Be sure to convey that. You don’t have to be arrogant about it, but
you should come across as a commodity, not as a desperate, nervous job
seeker. If you think like that, your confidence will shine through
naturally because you will feel good about yourself and will be ready for
anything! Before long, you’ll be launching your career. Best of Success!
By Ann Baehr
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Writers
Profile
Ann Baehr is a CPRW and President of
Best Resumes of New York. Notable credentials include her former role as
Second Vice President of NRWA and contribution to 25+ resume and cover
letter sample books. To learn more visit
http://www.e-bestresumes.com
or see view resume samples, visit
http://www.e-bestresumes.com/resume_samples.htm
resumesbest@earthlink.net
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